Bay CrossingsInterview
Meet James D. Falaschi
Developer Tapped to
Manage Jack London Square
Jack London Square
has never quite lived up to expectations. Your company has been chosen
by the Port of Oakland to take it over. Why do you think people haven’t
gone for it?
Six million people a
year visit Jack London Square and it has the reputation as a clean safe
place to go, so people do go for it. We see our job as building on that
reputation and repositioning Jack London Square so more people will, as
you say, go for it
What will these
assets encompass?
The existing assets
are Water Street I, Water Street II, and 66 Franklin st, Pavilion
Building.
So you’re not
really taking over Jack London Square. You’re just taking over
selected properties.
Just to be clear, we’re
not buying Jack London Square; we are buying the buildings. The land is
leased form the Port of Oakland for 66 years.
But in fact the
expectation is that you’re becoming the strategic leader of what is
commonly known as Jack London Square.
That’s correct. We
are assuming responsibility for the future development and asset
management of Jack London Square. This will be accomplished through a
true public /private partnership with the Port of Oakland
How does the
existing Oakland Alameda Ferry fit into your plan?
It’s a tremendous
link that we need to build on. We need better ties to other parts of the
Bay whether it is San Francisco, Alameda, and Redwood City. We also need
to mount an effort that will link the service to other existing
transportation such as Amtrak, AC Transit, and BART.
What do you think
about plans for cross-bay service?
It’s my
understanding that the employment base is such on the Peninsula that it
warrants a connection. How it is financed is the question.
Rents are dropping
fast in San Francisco because of the dot-com implosion. What’s your
pitch to prospective tenants able to choose between great deals in San
Francisco and you’re soon to be buildings in Jack London Square?
First of all, Oakland
has not suffered as greatly as San Francisco has in this downturn. So
Oakland will still be a price sensitive option for users. The business
climate is flourishing in Oakland with new leadership under the
direction of Mayor Brown. The perception of Oakland has changed and
people that move their offices to Oakland seem to be very happy with
that decision.
Downtown Oakland was
once on the waterfront. It was unwisely moved inland as part of
misguided urban renewal efforts. Do you think it’s ever going to be
possible to once again unite Downtown Oakland with the waterfront?
Absolutely Jack
London has to be connected to other parts of the City, not just
downtown, but, West Oakland, Chinatown and Fruitvale Transit Village.
The community deserves access to the Waterfront
Tell us the Jim
Falaschi story.
I was born and raised
in Oakland. I attended Oakland public schools. I’ve been a long time
member of the business community and have had very strong ties to the
non- profit community, In fact I’ve probably focused more on community
issues than my business at times, but that’s fine because the
community been good to me
For more information
visit www.newjacklondonsquare.com
